Iran: Families pick up the pieces after conflict with Israel

While the ceasefire between Israel and Iran signified regional progress, the conflict has had a major human cost, according to Africanews and AP on June 27th.

It took just 12 days of war since June 13th to leave thousands of lives in ruin in Iran. Iranian officials have said 500 homes were damaged by Israeli attacks, with 120 of them being entirely destroyed. Tehran’s government has said 606 Iranians died and over 5000 suffered wounds. But the US-based rights group WarTruck estimates the death toll is over 1000.

In the Iranian capital and beyond, hundreds of households are trying to get their lives back on track after the conflict. Mehdi Ferdowsi reflects on the personal cost the conflict had on his life.

Ferdowsi said: “They hit the buildings. Only rubble is left. Nothing else is left.” “This used to be our home, now it’s a pile of dust.”

As people dig through the rubble, many people feel that politics is taking a back seat in their priorities, with survival now being the focal point.

Both Israel and Iran claimed military success, but the 12-day war appears to have no victor, only victims. The current ceasefire holds as of now, but many people in Tehran feel apprehensive. Masoumeh, a local resident of Tehran, expressed skepticism over Israel’s intentions.

“They [Israel] were just looking for a pretext to show their force. I don’t think they gained anything. They just wanted to ruin a bunch of buildings.”

Masoumeh also had doubts about the security of the Iran-Israel ceasefire. She said: “What’s the point of a ceasefire if it’s going to be violated?”

However, the reality lies in the suffering of ordinary people caught in the crossfire, paying the price for the political posturing between Tehran and Tel Aviv.

Africanews and AP